Jake Gyllenhaal And Rene Russo To Star In Crime Thriller Nightcrawler

Jake Gyllenhaal dabbled in the world of crime journalism when he starred as cartoonist Robert Graysmith in David Fincher's brilliant 2007 crime thriller Zodiac, and today we have learned that he is ready to make his way back. Variety is reporting that the Oscar-nominated actor and Rene Russo have both signed on to star in the new indie thriller Nightcrawler.

The film will be the directorial debut of Dan Gilroy, who will also be writing the script. The filmmaker is best known for his work as a screenwriter, previously penning movies like The Bourne Legacy, Tarsem Singh's The Fall and Two For The Money. His brother Tony Gilroy, with whom he wrote the last Bourne movie, will be serving as a producer on the new project.

While details about the plot of Nightcrawler are slim, the trade says that it follows "a driven young man who discovers the nocturnal world of L.A. freelance crime journalism." It's not specified what roles either actor will play, though presumably Gyllenhaal will be starring in the lead role.

Russo will next be seen reprising her role as Frigga in the upcoming sequel Thor: The Dark World (which released its first trailer earlier this week). Gyllenhaal, meanwhile, is currently filming the Denis Villeneuve-directed thriller Prisoners, which has him playing a detective searching for a missing girl while also being forced to go head-to-head with the girl's father (Hugh Jackman), who doesn't believe that he is working hard enough on the case. The film will be in theaters on September 20th.

Eric Eisenberg
Assistant Managing Editor

NJ native who calls LA home and lives in a Dreamatorium. A decade-plus CinemaBlend veteran who is endlessly enthusiastic about the career he’s dreamt of since seventh grade.